Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Joins UHC

CHICAGO, Nov. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- UHC announces that Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), of Boston, has joined UHC, a Chicago-based consortium of 120 leading academic medical centers and nearly 300 of their affiliated hospitals.

"We are delighted to welcome Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to UHC," said Irene M. Thompson, UHC's president and chief executive officer. "UHC's alliance is centered on the power of collaboration, joining leading health care providers nationwide committed to providing excellent patient care, and BIDMC's inclusion will further that mission. We look forward to collaborating with Beth Israel Deaconess to achieve the system's health care performance goals."

UHC is renowned for its health care performance improvement solutions, including comparative data in clinical, operational, faculty practice management, financial, patient safety, and supply chain areas.

Beth Israel Deaconess, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, is renowned for excellence in patient care, biomedical research, teaching and community service. In 2013, BIDMC was recognized with American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize for its leadership and innovation in quality and safety among the nation's hospitals. BIDMC was also the first hospital in the country to meet new federal government standards for meaningful use of electronic medical records.

"BIDMC looks forward to joining and being an active participant in this effort by leading academic medical centers to share information on performance and improve together," said BIDMC President and CEO Kevin Tabb, MD.

In addition to its 120 principal members, UHC serves 300 general members—community and other hospitals that are affiliated with principal member organizations—offering educational programs and opportunities for members across the country to share knowledge and best practices to achieve optimal outcomes.

About UHC
UHC is an alliance of the nation's leading nonprofit academic medical centers, which are focused on delivering world-class patient care. Formed in 1984 and based in Chicago, Ill, UHC fosters collaboration with and among its 200 academic medical center and 300 affiliated hospital members through its renowned solutions in the areas of performance improvement, comparative data and analytics, supply chain management, strategic research, and public policy. UHC helps its members achieve excellence in quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness. UHC's membership includes the leading nonprofit academic medical centers in the United States. For more information, visit uhc.edu.

About BIDMC
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and currently ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide.

BIDMC has a network of community partners that includes Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, Signature Health Care, Commonwealth Hematology-Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance, and Atrius Health. In January, Jordan Hospital will become Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Senior Life and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.

SOURCE UHC